Someone Challenged Me on This!
They said that I love the Church, while they love Christ...
Hello friends!
Poetry has never been my primary form of writing, but from time to time a thought seems to arrive in verse rather than prose. This poem began with a simple question: "Why do you love the Church?" My answer has always been the same. Because I love Christ, and because so many of His gifts have come to me through the Church He established.
Let me know what you think. :)
Of Course I Love the Church
Someone said, “I love the Christ,
But not the Church at all.”
I wondered how the branch could live
Apart from vine and wall.
For Christ did not leave empty words
To echo through the years;
He left His living presence here
To calm our doubts and fears.
At Baptism’s font He calls our names
And washes guilt away;
The wanderer becomes a child,
And night gives way to day.
In sacred chrism’s fragrant oil,
The Spirit breathes anew;
He strengthens hearts for roads unknown
And guides them toward the true.
At every altar heaven bends
To meet the earth below;
The Bread of Life becomes our food,
The grace by which we grow.
And when the weight of sin returns
To burden soul and mind,
His mercy waits within the Church
For every heart to find.
When sickness comes or shadows lengthen,
And earthly strength grows small,
His healing touch remains nearby,
A comfort through it all.
He calls some men to serve His flock,
To preach, forgive, and teach;
Through willing hands His blessings still
Are offered within reach.
He joins a man and woman, too,
And crowns their faithful love;
A living sign upon the earth
Of greater things above.
So yes, I love the Church He built,
And gladly call her mine;
For every grace that fills my life
Flows from the Love Divine.
Of course I love the Church, my friend—
How could I not, you see?
For every gift that Christ has given
He chose to give through her to me.
